The Texans hosted Shorter for a tryout Friday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
The Raiders waived Shorter from injured reserve Tuesday. The wide receiver appears to have requested a release after recovering from an undisclosed injury so he could seek out another team to play for in 2026. The Texans are still missing wide receivers Tank Dell (knee) and Jayden Higgins (knee), meaning Shorter could reinforce the pass-catching depth for the team's practice squad.
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Justin Shorter: Waived from IR
Rotowire
The Raiders waived Shorter (undisclosed) from injured reserve Tuesday.
Shorter signed a reserve/future contract with Las Vegas in early January before landing on IR in May due to an undisclosed issue. It's unclear where he stands in his recovery, but the 26-year-old no longer will be free to sign with another club once he's healthy. Shorter has participated in 17 regular-season games over two NFL campaigns and has played primarily on special teams. He's yet to record a touch or target on offense.
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Raiders' Justin Shorter: Placed on reserve/injured list
Rotowire
Shorter (undisclosed) was placed on the reserve/injured list by the Raiders on Monday.
It's unclear what Shorter's injury is, but he'll have to reach an injury settlement with the Raiders to have a chance to play in 2026. A fifth-round pick of the Bills in 2023, he saw action in seven regular-season contests with Las Vegas last year, playing on five offensive snaps and 81 special-teams snaps. He has yet to record an NFL catch.
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Justin Shorter: Back with Las Vegas
Rotowire
The Raiders signed Shorter to the practice squad Tuesday.
Shorter has appeared in all seven regular-season games for Las Vegas this season but lost his 53-man roster spot to Tyler Lockett on Monday. Shorter has played five offensive snaps and another 81 on special teams.
Shorter was signed to the Raiders' active roster from the practice squad Friday, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports.
Shorter played wide receiver in college at Florida but attempted to convert to tight end in the NFL. The 2024 fifth-round pick of the Bills played in 10 regular-season games with Buffalo last season but saw action almost exclusively on special teams. Now back at wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 Shorter will provide depth for the Raiders following Thursday's announcement from Amari Cooper that the veteran wideout is retiring.
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Justin Shorter: Waived by Las Vegas
Rotowire
Shorter was waived by the Raiders on Tuesday.
Shorter was active for all three of the team's preseason contests, reeling in three catches for 22 yards. The wide receiver played in 10 regular-season games with Las Vegas in 2024, but he failed to record any offensive stats in those contests. Shorter will now be placed on waivers, and his experience last season could make him an intriguing target for the rest of the league.
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Raiders' Justin Shorter: Won't play Sunday vs. Bucs
Rotowire
Shorter (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
Shorter was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, but he ended the week with consecutive DNPs due to a back injury. With Shorter sidelined for Sunday's contest, Harrison Bryant will serve as the Raiders' No. 3 tight end behind Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Shorter's next opportunity to play will be Week 15 against the Falcons on Monday, Dec. 16.
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Raiders' Justin Shorter: Officially joins active roster
Rotowire
Shorter was signed to the Raiders' active roster Friday.
Shorter was elevated to the active roster for each of the team's last two games, failing to garner a target while playing five offensive snaps. He will now likely have an extended stay on the 53-man roster, and he'll look to carve out a larger role for himself as a reserve option behind Brock Bowers and Harrison Bryant at tight end.
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Justin Shorter: Reverts to practice squad
Rotowire
Shorter reverted to Las Vegas' practice squad Monday.
Shorter saw playing time on both offense and special teams with Harrison Bryant (elbow) unavailable in the Week 8 loss to the Chiefs, but he failed to record any stats. The 24-year-old could be elevated again Week 9 versus the Bengals if Bryant remains sidelined.
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Raiders' Justin Shorter: Elevated for Week 8
Rotowire
The Raiders elevated Shorter from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Shorter may get a chance to suit up in a depth capacity Sunday versus the Chiefs. He was also elevated for the team's loss to the Rams in Week 7, a game in which he contributed on special teams and played just three offensive snaps.
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Justin Shorter: Back with practice squad
Rotowire
Shorter reverted to the Raiders' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Shorter was elevated to the active roster ahead of Sunday's 20-15 loss to the Rams, failing to record any stats while playing three offensive snaps and 12 snaps with the special-teams unit. The tight end can still be promoted for two more games before the team would have to officially sign him to the active roster.
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Raiders' Justin Shorter: Elevated for Week 7
Rotowire
The Raiders elevated Shorter from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.
Shorter signed with the Raiders' practice squad in late August after failing to make the Bills' 53-man roster at the end of training camp. He missed all of 2023 due to a hamstring injury, but he could make his NFL regular-season debut Sunday against the Rams, though it would likely be in a special-teams role, as he's listed as the fourth tight end on the Raiders' depth chart behind Brock Bowers, Harrison Bryant and John Samuel Shenker.
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Bills' Justin Shorter: Sidelined by injury
Rotowire
Shorter (knee) did not practice Wednesday, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.
Shorter spent the 2023 campaign on IR due to a hamstring injury after the Bills selected him in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Florida product is a sizable target at 6-foot-4 and should be in contention for a depth role in Buffalo's receiving corps if he can get and stay healthy.
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Bills' Justin Shorter: Won't play Sunday
Rotowire
Shorter (hamstring) will not be activated from injured reserve before Saturday's game against the Chargers.
Shorter has been practicing with the team since he was designated to return from injured reserve Dec. 13. However, the rookie receiver will remain sidelined for at least one more game before he makes his NFL debut. His next opportunity to suit up will be Week 17 against the Patriots.
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Bills' Justin Shorter: Cleared for practice
Rotowire
Shorter (hamstring) was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Shorter was a fifth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft and has yet to play this season after going on IR on Aug. 30. He'll now have a 21-day window to practice with the team before the Bills would need to add him to the 53-man roster, but the wideout would be eligible to play this weekend against the Cowboys if the coaching staff determines he's ready to contribute.
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Bills' Justin Shorter: Lands on IR
Rotowire
The Bills placed Shorter on injured reserve Wednesday with a hamstring injury, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.
Shorter, a fifth-round pick out of Florida, made the Bills' initial 53-man roster after finishing the preseason with six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown while also contributing to special teams. However, after picking up the hamstring injury and going on IR, he'll be required to miss at least the first four games of the season. Once activated, Shorter will likely handle a depth role in the Bills' receiving corps.
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Bills' Justin Shorter: Links up with Buffalo
Rotowire
The Bills selected Shorter in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 150th overall.
The Bills are adding some serious size to their pass-catching group with first-round TE Dalton Kincaid and now Shorter. A five-star recruit out of high school in 2018, Shorter never really latched on at Penn State and ultimately transferred to Florida. He was a two-year contributor for the Gators and amassed 1,127 combined receiving yards in his final two seasons. Though Shorter has flaws to his game, he's a good athlete (4.55 40) for his size (6-foot-4, 229) and compares physically to Gabe Davis. At best, Shorter will be a backup to Davis in that role in the Buffalo offense, and it's unlikely that he will develop into an every-down player.
